坝 (bà) - dam & embankment

坝Tone 4

bà ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 土

傲不

坝 · bà

dam;

embankment;

dike;

levee;

flat open area;

also used in some place names.

damembankmentdike

Usage highlights

damembankmentreservoir damsandbarriver dikeflatland

Synonyms

  • 堤— dike; embankment
  • 堰— weir; low dam
  • 坝子— flat open area (regional)

Antonyms

  • 沟— ditch; trench
  • 渠— canal; channel

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The Three Gorges Dam (三峡大坝) is a major hydroelectric project.
  • They built an embankment (堤坝) to control flooding.
  • The village is located on a flat open area (坝子) in the mountains.
  • We walked along the river dike (河坝).

Collocations

  • dam(大坝)
  • embankment(堤坝)
  • reservoir dam(水库坝)
  • sandbar(沙坝)
  • river dike(河坝)
  • flatland(坝子)

Idioms

  • To plug a leak in the dam(堵坝)
  • Dam collapse and embankment breach(坝溃堤决)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically important in Chinese agriculture and flood control, representing human mastery over water.
  • Common in place names in southwestern China, especially Yunnan and Sichuan, where '坝子' refers to flat fertile valleys.

FAQ